It didn’t take long for us here at Nothing But Net Magazine to figure out who some of the top players were at this weekend’s Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach Calif. Xavier Johnson, for example, caught our eye immediately on Saturday and he hasn’t disappointed on Sunday either.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore from California has a nice feel for the game. You can’t leave him alone on the perimeter, or he’ll make you pay. Johnson can get to the rim and finish in traffic as well. And when the defense collapses on him, he knows how to find the open man. This kid plays defense too. Go figure.

“I knew there was going to be some guys that could play at this camp, so my goal coming in was to do my best,” said Johnson, who has been contacted by UNLV, USC and UCLA. “I knew if I did my best, there was a chance I would get a little exposure. This was my chance to get my name out there.”

Mission accomplished.

The first day of the Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach, Calif., is coming to a close, and by most accounts, Saturday’s evening session belonged to Grant Jerrett. The 6-foot-8 sophomore from California showed plenty of energy, more than most, often times making defenders around him look like they were a step slower.

“The competition is getting better and better and that brings out the best in me,” Jerrett said. “I live, eat and breathe basketball, so being out here, playing against the top players on the West Coast, that really means a lot to me.”

It’s that type of passion and effort that has sparked interest from several Division I college coaches. Arizona, Arizona St., UNLV, along with Washington, UCLA and USC have been in contact with Jerrett recently, although he hasn’t received an official scholarship offer as of yet. All of that, however, could be on the verge of changing.

Leading up to the Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach, Calif., I’d heard plenty about Rosco Allen but never had the opportunity to see the 6-foot-7 sophomore from Nevada out on the court. After seeing him in action Saturday, I’m starting to believe that some of the hype is warranted.

Allen has a great stroke. You don’t want to leave this youngster out on the perimeter. He makes his living behind the 3-point arc. Best thing about him is, he’s smart. If his defender cheats, he’ll put the ball on the floor and either get to the rim or unselfishly give the ball up to an open teammate.

“The media can put a lot of pressure on you, but I don’t let that kind of stuff get to me,” Allen said. “I just go out there and handle things on the court and let the things off the court work out. All that I’m focused on is getting better, improving. Honestly, that’s why I’m at this camp.”

Several Pac-10 Conference programs are recruiting Allen, along with Santa Clara and UNLV. Others figure to follow suit and you can expect that to happen sooner, rather than later.

Was sitting down, attempting to watch three different games taking place at the Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday and I ended up carrying on a brief conversation with a very knowledgeable man, although I had no idea who he was, at least initially. 

Turns out, the gentleman was Ed Gordon, father of UCLA sophomore forward Drew Gordon. Turns out, the elder Gordon has another son, Aaron, who was playing extremely well during one of the games I was keeping an eye on.  At 6-foot-6 and 190-pounds, Aaron Gordon is difficult to miss.

What struck me most about the youngest Gordon, a freshman from Northern California, was his athleticism. He was getting up and down the court equally as fast as the guards. And his role wasn’t merely finishing off fast breaks. He was leading them. This kid has the potential to be special. 

“This showcase is important for a couple different reasons,” Aaron Gordon said. “First, I don’t want to be known as Drew Gordon’s younger brother. Don’t get me wrong, my brother is great. I have some big shoes to fill. Really though, I want to be known as Aaron Gordon.

“I also wanted to come out here and see how I stacked up against the top freshmen out there. Being here gives me an idea of what the competition is going to be like in the future for me. If this is what it takes to get to the next level, that’s fine with me. I’ll work hard for it.”

There’s plenty of talent, loads and loads of talent here at Saturday’s Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp in Long Beach, Calif. But when it comes down to who is the most talented player, that distinction, without question, goes to Winston Sheppard, a 6-foot-7 sophomore wing from Texas.

Sheppard has been scoring at will on a variety of dunks, pull-up jumpers and uncontested layups. At times, it’s seemed as if no one has wanted any part of him. He’s in a class of his own, actually. Suppose that’s why he’s being recruited by several powerhouse programs, most notably, Kentucky.

“It’s nice to come out to the West Coast and get my feet wet against some of the top players out here,” Sheppard said. “Basketball is a year-round thing for me. That’s one of the reasons I’m at this event. I want to play against the best in the West. Going against the best makes you better.”

Hoop fans out there that don’t think they play basketball in Utah, think again.

Earlier this week, Nothing But Net Magazine covered the Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase event at the Franklin Covey Wellness Center in Salt Lake City and we were pleasantly surprised with several individuals. In fact, the level of play exceeded our tempered expectations. The kids from Utah actually have some game.   

That said, let’s get down to business and take a look at who played well when it counted.

Tyrell Corbin Jr.: Comes from good stock. He’s the son of  Tyrone Corbin, a 15-year NBA veteran. The younger Corbin is a 6-foot junior point guard with a smooth handle and consistent pull-up jumper.

Deng Deng:  There’s plenty to like about this kid. The 6-foot-3 sophomore drained 3-pointer after 3-pointer. Could end up developing into a top 150 prospect with regards to the 2012 recruiting class.

Jordan Loveridge: When you’re 6-foot-6, like Loveridge, it’s difficult not to draw attention. The sophomore is a strong athlete and an excellent slasher who possesses an impressive all-around game.

Boston Gubler: Another underrated underclassman. The 6-foot-8 sophomore power forward knows how to take advantage of his size underneath the basket. He’s a physical and rugged rebounder.

Colton Neff: This sharp-shooting guard has decent range out on the perimeter. Once the 6-foot-1 junior develops a knack for getting to the rim, things will open up even more around the 3-point arc.

Jordan Pryor: The jury is still out on him, due in large part to the fact he doesn’t have a true position. Is he a point guard? A shooting guard? Good thing is, the 6-foot sophomore has time to figure things out.

Kyle Domgaard:  At 6-foot-6, the junior is an imposing presence and he runs the floor extremely well. Provided he continues to work hard, he’s one player that’s worth keeping an eye in the future.

Over the course of the past two weeks West Coast recruits, some well-known and others a bit off the radar, have been busy commuting between California and Nevada for three different high-profile Fullcourt Press events with the hopes of playing well in front of the numerous scouts in attendance.

There’s no place like home.

If you’re Joe Jackson (pictured), it’s a saying, a cliché that must strike an accord with the 5-foot-11 point guard from White Station High in Memphis, Tenn., who orally committed to in-state Memphis recently. Mind you, the announcement came as a bit of surprise, one of the biggest of the summer.

For one, Jackson is widely recognized as one of the nation’s top players at his position for the 2010 class, and in all reality, could have chosen to attend just about any college in the country that he wanted. Kansas pushed hard for Jackson. Tennessee was a major player as well.

Secondly, many observers thought the Tigers would have a tough time putting together a solid recruiting class after Jon Calipari decided that he was better suited to take over the coaching job at Kentucky. Some of the skepticism, no doubt, changed with Jackson’s decision.

He’ll be joining Will Barton at Memphis, who’s a top 10 prospect nationally. Barton’s brother, Antonio, is also signed, sealed and delivered. That said, Tiger fans everywhere must be pleased with the fact Jackson is on board and won’t have to travel far to play ball at the next level.

Johnson joins Virginia: Not trying to toot our own horn, or anything, but we here at Nothing But Net Magazine have been one of the biggest supporters of James Johnson for the longest time now. Apparently, the coaching staff at Virginia was on the same page as us.

The 6-foot-9 senior power forward from Elsinore High in Calif., orally committed to the Cavaliers, although he had scholarship offers on the table from Arizona and Oklahoma, among the many others. The Johnson pickup is a huge addition for coach Tony Bennett.

“He just seemed to really hit it off with the coaches from the very beginning,” said Johnson’s father, Ted, when speaking with the DailyProgress.com. “Coach Bennett was just tremendous, as were the other coaches. There was just something about those guys.”

On the Lamb no longer: Year in and year out, UConn and coach Jim Calhoun vie for the services of the top recruits in country. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a big surprise for those within the basketball community to learn that Huskies scored an oral commitment from Jeremy Lamb.

The 6-foot-4 senior from Norcross High in Georgia is one of the top 20 shooting guards around, not on the same level as Reggie Bullock, Tyler Lamb, or Doron Lamb, no relation. He is, however, talented enough to come in to UConn and contribute right away, at least on some level.

Turner books ticket for LSU: Ralston Turner took a recruiting trip to Baton Rouge about a week ago, and apparently, the 6-foot-5 senior forward from Muscle Shoals High in Ala., was so impressed with everything LSU had to offer that he gave the Tigers an oral commitment.

“It’s like a big weight lifted off my chest,” Turner told the TimesDaily.com about his all-important decision. “It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. I went down there last weekend, went to the football game, met with the staff. It felt like it was the right way to go.”

Tide reels in Releford: We had a chance to take a long look at Trevor Releford back at the Pangos All-American Camp in late May and there was plenty to like about the 5-foot-10 senior point guard from Bishop Miege High in Kansas. This kid held his own back then and figures to do so at the next level.

Speaking of college, Releford has made his choice. He’ll be attending Alabama, after giving an oral commitment despite having offers from seven other programs, including Oklahoma and Tennessee. “It’s a good decision for me… I didn’t want to wait any longer,” he told KansasCity.com.

Golden gone, off the board: Over the course of the past couple months, Trae Golden has gone from a relative unknown in the eyes of NCAA Division I scouts to a borderline household name. The 6-foot-1 senior from McEachern High in Georgia became a hot commodity, seemingly overnight.

Georgia and Tennessee jumped on the bandwagon quickly. Ultimately, however, the Vols were able to land an oral commitment from Golden. “It was between those two,” he said to ajc.com. ” I just thought Tennessee would be the best fit for me. They’re going to help me get to the next level.”

Pressey picks Mizzou: Remember Paul Pressey, who made a nice living playing the in the NBA for 11 years? Well, he’s got a son, Phil, who isn’t too bad in his own right. The kid is talented, in fact, and it appears as if the younger Pressey is well on his way to following in his father’s footsteps.

The senior point guard from Episcopal School in Texas verbally committed to Missouri, choosing the Tigers over the likes of Arizona, UConn and Florida. Many consider Pressey as one of the country’s top 25 players at his position and it will be interesting to see if he outdoes his dad at some down the road.

Sooners counting on Clark: It was just a matter of time before one of the nation’s top 10 small forwards for the 2010 class made a decision about his future. Speculation about Harrison Barnes and Stacey Poole, and where they’d end up, has been running rampant for months now.

None of that mattered to Cameron Clark though. The 6-foot-6 highly-touted wing from Sherman High in Texas has had his mind made up about where he’d like to spend the next four years of his life and Clark made his intentions known when he orally committed to play for coach Jeff Capel at Oklahoma.

We could get used to having this guy around, helping out.

Our publisher and editor-in-chief, Dinos Trigonis, has been a busy man lately. And we’re not talking about jet-setting all over the country in an effort to make this one of the nation’s top publications. He’s been out there doing what he does best, evaluating talent. Make no mistake, he does this better than most.

And when Trigonis is out on the road scouting, that means one thing, he’s bound to offer up Nothing But Magazine followers some of his many observations. And that’s a good thing. A very good thing, mind you. So, without further delay, let’s take a look  at a sampling of some of the talent he saw in action.

La Verne Lutheran (La Verne CA) boasts one of the deepest young rosters of talent in the West this season. Juniors Bruce English, CJ Cooper and Xavier Jones will get plenty of playing time. So will sophomores Grant Jerrett and Cameron Osorno and freshmen Eric Cooper Jr., Nick Colletta and Jay Miller. With a roster so deep, there was a good reason that Trojan coach Eric Cooper Sr. had visitors at his practice last Wednesday, the first day of the fall NCAA contact period. Coaches from Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, UNLV and Washington State were on hand to get a first-hand look at Cooper’s young but impressive looking squad…

Speaking of La Verne Lutheran, the Trojans’ lone senior, Jordan Salley, suffered a devastating ACL tear just prior to the July evaluation period, but is making good progress in rehab. He’s hoping to return by January. Prior to the injury, Salley, one of the top 2010 post prospects in Southern California, had been receiving interest from Tulsa, New Mexico, San Francisco, Santa Clara and Pepperdine. Due to the setback, the attention has been somewhat sluggish. Creighton, however, is in the process of setting up an on-campus visit soon. If Salley can make a full recovery, look for the rugged and bouncy forward to be a valuable recruit in the spring…

Recruits have been flying off the board over the past month, or so. And by most accounts, the most high-profile oral commitment given recently was by James McAdoo this past weekend. The 6-foot-8 and 200-pound junior forward from Norfolk Christian High in Virginia decided that Chapel Hill was the place for him.

That’s right, McAdoo is a North Carolina Tar Heel.

Coach Roy Williams wasn’t the only head honcho interested in the talented underclassman, who’s one of the nation’s top 5 prospects among the 2011 class. McAdoo had been contacted by several powerhouse programs, including UConn and Duke. Florida and Wake Forest were among the other potential suitors.

North Carolina assembled a great 2009 recruiting class, with letters of intent signed by John Henson, Leslie McDonald, Dexter Strickland and twins David and Travis Wear. The 2010 class is shaping up rather well, too, given the fact that Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall are already onboard.

And now, the news about McAdoo breaks, the information becoming available shortly after P.J. Hairston, ranked among the country’s top 25 juniors, committed to the Tar Heels about a month ago. Provided both players honor their words, North Carolina could end up with one of the best 2011 recruiting classes around.

Cobbins find a home: The boys on Tobacco Road aren’t the only ones that were busy over the Labor Day vacation Oklahoma State scored when it landed an oral commitment from Michael Cobbins, a 6-foot-9 post who’s widely recognized as one of the nation’s top 10 seniors, a top 50 prospect overall.

Oklahoma, Missouri, Memphis and Georgia Tech expressed interest in the forward from Palo Duro High in Amarillo, Tex. The Cowboys, however, had too much to offer. “It just seemed like a good fit after talking with the players and the coaches,” Cobbins told TexasHoops.com. “The facilities are real nice… That was a big factor.”

Solomon makes his selection: We here at Nothing But Net Magazine have had plenty of chances to see Richard Solomon in action lately. And in retrospect, there’s plenty to like about the 6-foot-9 senior, a Los Angeles native in the midst of a high-profile high school transfer in Southern California.

While his immediate future might be a little uncertain, his future at the next level is not.  Word was that Solomon orally commited to Cal in mid-August, and sources have confirmed that he will, in fact, be playing for the Golden Bears. Believe us, he’ll make plenty of people happy once he arrives on the Berkeley campus.

King for a day: When it comes to the nation’s top point guards, Keala King deserves to mentioned among the best, right up there with Brandon Knight, Josh Selby and Kendall Williams. Arizona St. is well aware of this fact, perhaps that’s why the program pushed so hard for King, who committed to the Sun Devils on Wednesday.

Similar to Solomon, King is in the midst of a highly scrutinized transfer between Golden State high schools. When he does find a new place to call home, watch out because the 6-foot-5 floor general makes things happen. And once he reaches the next level, big-time college ball, watch out because it will be more of the same.

Bohannon bound for UTEP: In late May, the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, CA.,  featured many of the country’s premiere players. It was a who’s who collection of the best in the business. John Bohannon could have easily got lost in the shuffle, but the 6-foot-10 senior from Lancaster High in Texas didn’t.

The coaching staff from Texas-El Paso had been keeping a close eye on him back then and it appears as if the Miners’ attentiveness finally paid off considering Bohannon orally committed mere days ago. “I’ve had contact with a lot of other schools… it’s a long list,”  he told elpasotimes.com. “UTEP is the perfect fit for me.”

Price is right: Louisville coach Rick Pitino has been making headlines quite a bit lately, although the publicity hasn’t been particularly flattering. Fear not Cardinals fans, good news is on the way. Earlier this week, Zach Price announced that he orally committed to play for Pitino. Told you good news was on the way.

The 6-foot-8 and 225-pound post from St. Edward High in Lakewood, OH., is a load underneath the basket and considered one of the country’s top 10 center prospects for the 2011 class. “There’s no other school for me,” Price said in reference to Louisville when speaking to courier-journal.com.

Keeping up with the Joneses: It’s a well-known fact, the spring and summertime evaluation periods offered lesser-known recruits an opportunity to increase their standing in the eyes of NCAA Division I coaches and scouts. Bryce Jones is a smart kid and he took full advantage of the added exposure over the past couple months.

The 6-foot-5 senior wing from Taft High in Woodland Hills, Calif., played inspired ball, turning heads week in and week week out, ultimately earning himself scholarship offers from several Pac-10 Conference schools. Once USC offered, Jones couldn’t refuse and he committed to the Trojans two weeks ago.